


Maki Scorpion

by StudentOfEtherium



Series: Monoganronpa [1]
Category: Bakemonogatari, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Autistic Maki, Conversations, Depression, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:22:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26063389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StudentOfEtherium/pseuds/StudentOfEtherium
Summary: Maki finds a small scorpion on the roof of her school building one day.
Relationships: Hanekawa Tsubasa & Harukawa Maki
Series: Monoganronpa [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918303
Kudos: 8





	Maki Scorpion

Maki sat on the roof watching the sky. Supposedly, class had begun several minutes ago, but she chose to stay where she was. The roof was locked, so it's not like people would find her, anyway. Her lunch sat at her side, only half eaten after all this time. She lay back, watching the sky that would only remain cloudless for a short time more. On the horizon, dark clouds gathered, signaling that it would rain later. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She should go back to class. There was no reason to stay up here, and the class she was missing was uneventful, so it would be painless for her to go back. Despite that, she lingered.

Her eyes remained closed for some time. A cool autumn breeze rolled over the quiet roof, and then a few minutes later came another one. Despite her hair being tied in two long twintails, stray strands escaped their ties and brushed her face lightly. Soon another gust of wind came by. The school building, already three stories tall, sat atop a tall hill, which made the already crisp air more chilly. Nonetheless, Maki lay there, doing little more than breathing. The only sounds she heard were the low murmur of the wind and the far-off sounds of the city below.

Then, that quiet was interrupted by a school bell. She had missed one class, and her next one would soon be beginning. She opened her eyes. In the time since they had closed, the clouds had nearly covered the sky. Rather than wait for rain to start falling and interrupt her, Maki sat up. She packed her lunch back in her bag and started walking towards the door. However, she was interrupted when she saw a small crimson scorpion on the ground near her. Maki glared at it for a second, before slamming her foot down over it. When she lifted her foot, she saw no signs the scorpion had been there at all; no corpse or smear. She shrugged it off as a hallucination or a petty delusion, never questioning why there had been a scorpion on the roof to begin with. She slung her bag over her shoulder and opened the door, then stepped in and started walking to class.

* * *

As soon as the school bell rang to signal the end of the day, Maki was gone. She had chosen a seat by the door for just that reason. She hurried through the hall as a horde of indistinguishable classmates started pouring out. She was out the front door before any of them. From there, her pace developed into something more leisurely. Rather than walk down the main road, she turned towards a smaller path. She didn't have to be anywhere to be but home and she was in no rush to return. The path eventually led her to an empty park. At one time, it might have been something used by children, but shifting trends in local housing meant few families lived nearby anymore. 

Maki had discovered the park on another such day where she was hiding on the roof to avoid both class and classmates, as she was looking at the area around her school. It was in a forested area at the bottom of the hill, noticeable by being a break in the trees. After school, she had gone to look at it in person and since then it became a regular place for her to hide.

She winced in pain as she felt a sting on her back. Thinking an insect of some sort was at fault, she reached back to grab it, but she found nothing. Confused, she reached a hand under her school uniform to see if she could feel a welt, but it quickly became apparent that the sting was just another delusion of hers. Maki frowned and pulled her hand out.

Maki scanned the park. It was empty as always, but despite that, it showed few signs of wear. It was owned by the city and despite the fact that nobody used it, it was well-maintained. Local businesses and residents alike had tried to petition for it to be removed, but those never received more than pallid apathy. And so it remained, so unloved and isolated that even those who wanted it gone couldn't muster enough resolve to make it go away. Maki could relate.

She walked over to the swingset and sat down. Rocking had always been something calming for her and thus she would get good use out of swings. The isolated nature of the park made her more comfortable with taking part in what she saw as such a childish activity. She could do whatever she wanted there for however long she wanted and nobody would bother her. She started swinging, gently at first before picking up speed. She stayed that way, swinging back and forth, until a drop of water hit her face. Soon came another, and another, and another. She slowed her pace and eventually came to a slow rocking.

Rather than take the rain as a sign that she should go home, Maki smiled. Perhaps she would regret staying out like this later, when she was back home at the orphanage, but for now the rain was a perfect companion to her isolation.

She felt another sting on her back. She reached behind herself again, but once again failed to find any signs of such a sting on her skin, let alone what could have caused it. She grabbed one of her twintails and started holding it tightly, but by this time, it was soaked. Maki took a deep breath and held it in for a few seconds before exhaling. She was experiencing hallucinations, and that was all, nothing more.

She looked up at the cloudy sky. It was dense and she could tell the rain would last all night and through the next day. That suited her. She always liked rain. It reminded her of times long past, of spending time with friends at the orphanage. Back before they had been adopted and left her alone. Even as new kids came and went, she could never connect to them the same way, especially with such little time for friendships to grow before they would be separated.

She blinked away those thoughts quickly and shook her head. Her soaking hair sprayed water everywhere around her. She blinked several more times to clear the water building up in her eyes and looked up. When she did, she saw a figure standing in front of her; a woman- no, a girl her age with short black hair. She was wearing a large coat with a hood covering her hair and she had a large travel bag with her slung over her shoulder. She smiled and waved.

“Mind if I sit down?” She gestured to the swing next to Maki. Maki stared at the girl, trying to assess her. She didn't seem to be a threat. She sighed. “Go ahead.” The girl smiled, placed her bag on a nearby bench, and sat down. The girl glanced up at the sky and squinted, before dropping her hood. She looked at Maki. “I never liked getting wet.” She laughed. “I'm such a stereotype.” Maki stared at her, with a confused look on her face.

Rather than explain herself, the girl extended a hand towards Maki. “What's your name?” Maki glared for a second, before responding in a quiet voice. “It's Harukawa.” The girl laughed again. “Is the second kanji river?” Maki's glare softened into a stare, while she thought to herself questioning why the girl cared. Eventually she replied, “Yeah. Why?” She shrugged. “My name is similar. Hanekawa. But feel free to call me Tsubasa.” Maki's stare returned to being a glare. “And why do you want to talk to me?”

Hanekawa gave an indifferent shrug. “I'm new to the area. I'm a traveler, or rather, I'm looking for someone. I saw you sitting here and I thought you might have seen him.” Maki groaned. “Look, I haven't seen your travel buddy. I have no idea where he is.” Hanekawa waved Maki down. “No, I'm not traveling with him. I've been tracking his trail for a few months now and my leads sent me here.” She smiled. “I appreciate your help, though.” Maki glared. “Are you going to go away, then? Leave me alo-”

She felt another sting on her back. She flinched in pain, but held herself back from expressing it too much. Despite that attempt to hide it, Hanekawa still noticed. “Is something wrong, Harukawa?” Maki gritted her teeth as she replied, “No. I'm fine. Why are you still here?” Hanekawa shrugged. “You seem like someone who is interesting to talk to. Even if you haven't seen the person I'm looking for, maybe you know something that could be a hint.” 

Maki shook her head. “I assure you, I don't. Please just go away and leave me the fuck al-” There was another sting, now worse than any time prior. Maki found herself unable to hold back and cried out in pain. Hanekawa looked on with a concerned face.

“Is something wrong?” Maki glared at her. “I'm alright. I don't need your concern.” Hanekawa nodded and stood up, but rather than leave, she turned and walked behind Maki. “You might not want my help, but you clearly need it.” She leaned down behind Maki and examined her back. “This is where it hurts, right?” Maki let out a resigned sigh. “Yes.” Hanekawa nodded to herself. She started muttering things to herself that Maki couldn't quite parse. Something about an old man.

“Harukawa? Do you mind if I touch your back?” Hanekawa asked. Maki rolled her eyes. “I would really rather you didn't.” Hanekawa took a second to think before speaking again. “Do you experience any sort of chronic pain?” Maki shook her head silently.

“Harukawa, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need to touch you. It will be quick, but it's unavoidable.” Maki started turning around. “Look, I don't know what the fuck you're doing, but just go the fuck away bec-” She cried out in pain once more. As she did, she felt Hanekawa brush her back lightly with her fingers. 

“Okay! I've got it!” Hanekawa stood up and walked back around into Maki's vision. She sat back down on the swing and looked at the taller girl. “You should be fine now.” Maki glared. “Then can you leave me alone?” Her eyes widened. There was no pain this time. “What did you do?” Hanekawa smiled at her and lifted her hand. She was holding, by the stinger, a small crimson scorpion. “I just grabbed this.” With her free hand, she gestured towards her bag on the nearby bench. “In there, there should be a glass bottle. Can you bring it to me?”

Maki stared at Hanekawa and at the scorpion in her hand. It looked identical to the one she had seen earlier. Hanekawa waved in front of her face with the free hand. “Hello? I'd rather not keep holding this.” Maki refocused and stood up. “Uh, sure.” She walked over and started rooting through the bag. It was a mess, filled with all kinds of things, from clothes and travel gear to papers and things Maki couldn't determine the nature of. Eventually, she found a small glass bottle like Hanekawa had described. She took it out and lifted it for the other girl to see. “This it?” Hanekawa nodded. Maki stood up and walked back to the swingset. Hanekawa gestured. “Just hold it steady and I'll drop this in.” Maki did so and Hanekawa quickly dropped the scorpion into the jar, then sealed it. She held it up to her face and examined it.

“It's really unfortunate that this happened to you. You'd be better off if you'd never seen it.” Maki stared, expecting some kind of explanation. Instead, Hanekawa stood up and returned the jar to her bag. “I'll dispose of that little guy later, away from the school.”

She sat back down next to Maki. By this time, the pouring rain was beginning to reveal that half her dark hair was merely dye, revealing the white underneath. Tiger stripes. “But anyway.” She clapped her hands. “Going forward, I'd suggest you stop being so self-isolating. It's fine to have your own boundaries, but don't just sting anyone who gets close to you.” Maki stared at her. “And who are you to be saying this?” Hanekawa shrugged. “Someone with a lot of life experience for my age.” Maki groaned. “Oh, you know everything, don't you?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Hanekawa replied earnestly. “I don't know everything. I just know what I know.” Maki, not amused, replied bitterly. “Do you want to die?” Hanekawa laughed. “I don't really know the answer to that question anymore.” Maki frowned.

Hanekawa stood up suddenly. “Do you know of any libraries around here?” Maki thought for a second. “A few, why?” Hanekawa walked over and gently picked up her bag. “I have some research to do. Both on that scorpion and where I should go next.” She paused for a second as if thinking. “Plus, libraries have always been a comforting place for me.” 

Maki rolled her eyes. “There's a few around here.” Hanekawa's eyes lit up. “Oh! Good!” She pulled out her phone. “Mind writing them out for me?” Maki looked at the phone, watching the rain bounce off the bright screen. She picked it out of the standing girl's hand and typed out a number of addresses. “There.” Hanekawa took back the phone and looked at it for a second before returning it to her pocket. “Thanks! Oh, by the way, do you mind if I give you my number? In case you run into anything like that, it's always good to have a specialist’s number on hand.” She lifted a finger to her face. “No, I'm not a specialist.” She shook her head. “But that doesn't matter. Point is, I'm giving you my phone number so you can alert me to trouble.” Maki stared blankly at the girl, then rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She took her phone out of her uniform pocket and opened it to a contact page. “This is just so you leave me alone.” Hanekawa nodded. “That's fine. I know you like your space, but if all goes well, you won't need to talk to me again.” She finished typing out her information and handed the phone back to the surly girl. “There.”

Hanekawa smiled. “Thanks, Maki.” Maki frowned. “I didn't tell you my name.” Her frown curled into a mixed expression. “Maybe you do know everything.” Hanekawa turned around and started walking away. “I already told you. I don't know everything, I just know what I know.”


End file.
